an experiment in off-grid living

Cabin :: tour #2

With a successful battery monitor and auxiliary lines install without any substantial set backs there was ample time to take a walk around the forty and enjoy the forest (despite the deer flies). The cabin porch however, is the place to be, thanks to it’s unexplained lack of bugs that eat human. A few theories for this phenomenon arise from either the pond creating an excellent spot for dragon fly maturation, the recent tree thinning allowing for good air movement in the under story, and/or a rebound in the bat population. But none-the-less, here is what I found when I ventured off of the porch… in my bug bitten wanderings about the land.

Bulletin Board

Updated 4.26.2017

New post! The Chest of Drawers are built! Now with Spring upon the U.P. I have a garden to prepare, wood to cut, and various out door actives to pursue with the family - which now Includes Felix, expanding our family to 3 kiddos. I'm working on a post for maple syrup, as well as the basement step project. Future projects include a repair to the entryway steps, bunk beds for the basement, and egress door for the basement.

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In 2009 I began to research solar energy as a viable and cost-effective source of power for my family's off-grid cabin. Located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, five miles from the nearest blacktop road and over 3 miles from the power grid, our only option was to generate electricity on site. In Spring of 2010 the last wires were connected and the dream of a cabin using electricity not generated from an internal combustion engine was finally realized. The scope of this blog is to highlight the mistakes and successes that I encountered while designing and assembling the off-grid system.